Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-09-29
VALUE OF MuLcHINo.
TIE Best Conservator Of the Foed. Watos
and Heat Of the Grouad.

The Best C0nservator Of the f0od, Water
and Heat Of the Groaad
A mulch is any loose substance
spread over the surface of the soil but
not incorporated into that portion of it
where the roots of plants extend. 1t
may be grass. old hay. straw. sawdust,
spent tanbark, forest leaves. corn
stalks, peat, gravel. sand, coal screen
ings or farm-yard manure. 1t may in
fact be the upper layer of the soil. that
is kept from the part in which roots
extend by frequent soaking. or by dis
tributing it in any manner SO that
plants will not grow on it Trees
growing in forest or in other shell
tered places afford material for mulch
ing the soil in the form of leaves, small
decaying branches and leaves. Most
kinds of bushes. tall grasses and clover
also furnish material for mulching the
ground where they grow. 1t is likely
that the idea of forming an artificial
mulch was hint from nature. Mulch
ing is practiced much more than it was
a few years ago. and it is likely that it
will receive much more attention than
it does at present. In a climate as
variable as ours a mulch is of value to
plants in the winter as during the sum-
mer. 1t has been found to be valuable
in the flower and vegetable garden as
in the orchard, vineyard and field.
At first a mulch was only used over
the roots of small and newly-set trees,
bushes and grape-vines; now it is APP
piled to fields where fall-sown grains
are raised. During hot and dry sum-
mers a mulch has been employed to
excellent advantage on ground devot-
ed to potatoes. Not few market gar
deners use mats, sort of movable
mulch, for laying over plant-beds at
night, some being taken up every
morning. Many have found that
mulch is desirable for fruit trees and
bushes that produce berries in all
stages of their growth. 1t has also
been ascertained that mulch is high
ly beneficial to bearing grape-vines.
What is known as manureal mulch
is prepared for grape-vines, fruit trees
and bushes that produce flowers and
berries. 1t generally consists of coarse
manure, that is not rank like hog
dung. 1t serves the purpose of me-
chanical mulch the first season it is app
piled. but during this time it ferments
and rots, and by so doing becomes y
most excellent fertilizer.
A scientific authority on the use of
mulch gives them rs follows: Conser-
walton of the food. water and heat OF
the ground, and consequent safeguard
ing it against the extremes Of cold and
drought The most perfunctory OBJ
server of the sun, frost. wind or air in
motion in direct contact with the sur
face filth of the soil can not fail to
have noticed how rapidly food and
water and heat are dissipated by the
action of the sun, air and wind Oh tho
surface. Each thirsty sunbeam, every
molecule of air and every frost loosens.
liberates. steals something from the
surface. Now, just as clothing, es-
pecially wooden fabrics. conserves tho
warmth of our bodies, so does the me-
chanical texture of surface mulches
conserve the heat and moisture and
food of the ground. The mulch pene-
trable to the warmth of the sunshine
would prove no barrier to the free pas
sage and copious loss of vapor or
food. Hence it follows that the great
use of the mechanical mulches is that
they tend to strike Il mean between ex-
tremes of temperature and plethora
or scarcity of food and water. In i
word. they keep the roots warmer in |
winter and cooler in summer,
and help to supply them with
abundant daily supplies of food and
water without subjecting them to al
ternate fits of famine and plethora.
They even do more than this. They
90 very far, indeed. toward rendering
a water famine at the roots
impossible. The surface mulch
prevents waste from surface
washing, greatly enlarges the
storing capacity of the soil. extends
the area of supply, and delivers the
water where it is most needed. Thus.
the surface mulch proves itself most
frugal administrator of our rainfall.
But it also recalls the water after it
has left the surface. A mere mulch,
even of cold, hard, utterly sterile
stone, gravel. sand. coal ashes or saw
dust sets a series Of infinitesima
pumps. capillaries or hair-like tubes
in motion that bring water to the sur.
face from the vast depths of the earth
to supply the wants of the growing
roots.
A mulch should not be so firm and
solid as to .'shed rain" 1t should be
sufficiently porous to allow rain to
readily pass through it. In grape
vines. fruit trees, rose bushes. most
kinds of Towering shrubs, currant and
gooseberry bushes. there is no better
mulchinO material than coarse harm.